Betsy

In 1849, Monroe County, Missouri, was still the frontier, where preachers and doctors were scarce. With statehood, Mexican grants of thousands of acres dwindled into hundreds of acres for the lucky landowners; unlucky ones received nothing.
The Mexican - American war was over. Men who left their sweethearts to fight with their hero, Doniphan, became heroes themselves, feted, and offered chances they'd never had in Missouri.
And the lure of the far west was beginning to have its pull. Even tragedies like the Donner Party disaster wouldn't dissuade adventurers for long, especially when the discovery of gold in California became known.
Betsy Sloan, an auburn-haired city beauty, came to the Missouri frontier with a broken heart. But the engaging smile of her employer lured her back to life.
Gerald Termaine, a dashing young corporal in the Mexican-American War loved Betsy since they were children. But he jilted her and left her for an heiress who gave him a hero's welcome in New Orleans.
Alfred McCutchen, "The Judge," needs Betsy to care for his motherless children. He's handsome, and exciting, but does Betsy want to settle for a loveless marriage?
"Like water going over the mill wheel, we can't stop change but we have a choice about how we handle it."Mary Barnett McCutchen, 1813-1848